Page 44 of The King's Weapon

She stepped into the hallway, closing the door behind her. Staying on her toes and sliding down the side of the wall, she crept toward the stairs.

Stage one was complete: get past the bedrooms.

When she had followed Dani and the twins upstairs, Kallie had noted that the worst of the creaks had come from the stairs. And one step in particular, about halfway down, seemed to be the loudest. She exhaled and continued her trek, one foot at a time. Using the wall for balance, Kallie avoided overloading one foot so she didn't add extra pressure onto the worn floors.

Half way down the stairs now. The loudest step was just below her. If she could get past this one, Kallie would be able to breathe again.

She put her foot out, slid her hand down the wooden railing, skipping the step. As her toes made contact with the next step and she shifted her weight, Kallie knew she had made a vital mistake. A miscalculation.

The boards beneath her bent underneath her weight. Kallie felt the faintest vibration of the wood as it creaked.Thiswas the one she was supposed to avoid. And she had just put the majority of her weight on it.

Her breath caught in the middle of her throat as she stared down into the darkness of the first floor. Somewhere above her, a bed creaked. A bead of sweat dripped down her neck and slid down her back as she anticipated her discovery.

If it's just one, I can control him. I'm fine.

Silence echoed in the dark hallway. No floors creaked, no doors squeaked open. No one came to investigate.

The gods must have been watching over her. She was in the clear.

Counting to ten, she exhaled and continued down the stairs.

* * *

With the frontdoor shut behind her, stage two was complete.

Kallie stood on the front patio of the small house. Although she was certain the Pontians would come after her, she did not know how long it would take or how far she would be able to go. Either way, it was worth trying. She had stopped in the kitchen and had pocketed some leftover bread for the ride toward Kadia.

Outside, the moon was half ablaze and half shaded in darkness. Thick ominous clouds peppered the sky. And in the distance, lightning struck followed by a thunderous boom that shook the ground she stood on. The storm was coming, and she was about to ride straight into it.

Kallie prayed to Sabina for success. And with a renewed sense of determination, she slinked around the house to the stable. Unfortunately, she would need a horse for this next stage. Thankfully though, the ride here made her a little bit more comfortable with them—well with Calamity, at least. Graeson's horse was sassy and more human than most of the horses she had encountered back in Ardentol. Kallie grinned, her eyes alight with mischief. Plus, it was a small perk that stealing Calamity would irritate Graeson beyond belief.

Still, with each step, her smug smile lessened, her palms grew clammier. There was no backing out now though. As her father had reminded her multiple times, to achieve great success, one must risk the jump. And better to die trying than to never risk it at all.

Thunder clapped, and Kallie ducked into the stable the moment rain poured from the sky. Through the rush of water, she looked back toward the farmhouse and groaned. She had no cloak. No way to stay dry. She would be soaked once she stepped foot out of the stable. But she could not wait.

Returning her attention to the dark stable, she heard the horses rustling underneath the roof as the rain beat against it. Hay crunched under her feet. With a shaky hand, Kallie grabbed a handful and walked over to where she had seen Graeson brush Calamity.

Despite Calamity's fur melding into the darkness, the glint of Calamity's large eyes found Kallie. And when lighting struck again, Kallie's heart rattled inside her as the light cast the beast into a sight meant for nightmares. Shadows danced across the stable, almost human, and paralyzed her.

Once the light disappeared, Kallie slowly regained control over her body. She tiptoed closer. Recalling Graeson's words about the horse's perceptiveness, she slowed her breathing in an attempt to slow her thumping heart. When she was an arm's reach away, she extended her hand out, offering the hay to the horse. Calamity swung her nose, sniffing Kallie’s hand. Kallie restrained herself enough to not retreat and instead opened up her hand to the horse.

Hot breath filled the air as Calamity opened her mouth. Large teeth neared her hand, slobber dribbled down onto her palm. Kallie wanted to recoil from fear and disgust. But instead of chopping down on her hand, the horse pulled back its lips, its thick breath soaking Kallie's face, and gingerly took the hay out of Kallie's hand. The horse's teeth didn't even scrap against her skin.

Then a clap of thunder echoed and Kallie jumped back a step, nearly slipping on the loose hay on the ground. Her chest tightened, but the horse remained steady. Though the same could not be said for the other horses.

Heart pounding, Kallie brushed the dirt-coated hay stuck to her sweat-slicked hand and patted the horse warily. "All right, girl. We're going to go for a little ride,” her voice shook.

Calamity huffed but didn't move away. Taking that as a sign, Kallie moved over to the side of the horse. Then her heart dropped to her stomach.

There was no saddle, no stirrups. No easy way to pull herself up onto the beast.

"Shit," she hissed to no one but the shadows. The saddle was nowhere in sight (not that she even knew how to put it on the horse without startling it). She searched for some sort of stool or anything to aid her. The other horses shifted nervously in their stalls as the rain continued. It was so loud Kallie could barely hear herself breathe, let alone think. Lightning flashed, and the boom of thunder made the metal tools rattle on the wall. Each rustle of hay beneath the horses' hooves sent an eerie chill skating down her spine.

She needed to hurry. She was running out of time.

Across the stable, a barrel sat near rusted rakes and hoes hanging on the wall. She ran toward it, then kicked it with her toe.

Empty.

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